My husband was going to snag a piece of that pie, but someone beat him to the punch.
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Great report @MaladyNelson. 
I had no idea Bub & Grandma’s bread had savory breads / toasts there. And yah, that pie looks ridiculous.
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Please pass along my sincerest apologies to your husband.
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He’s never going to forgive you! Just kidding. At least I shared the babelette with him.
Thanks so much, @Chowseeker1999!
Bub and Grandma’s had three flatbreads: zucchini with cheese, vegan zucchini, and sausage. They also had about five different types of bread that looked fabulous. I think you’ll enjoy their baked goods.
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Update 2:
Hearing @matthewkang wax poetic about one of the new vendors at Smorgasburg, we decided to stop in this weekend to give it a try, making sure to show up early to beat the heat. 
When we showed up, it wasn’t too crowded, but the heat was already in the 90’s.
Stoked!
The first vendor we stopped by at was Stoked!, a new startup focused on Santa Maria-style California BBQ. Their claim to fame was a real Santa Maria-style BBQ Grill, along with using California Red Oak Wood to smoke & cook the Tri Tip (their only meat they serve).
It looked promising and it smelled really fragrant. They clearly took a cue from Goa Tacos (next door), with their ultimate marketing campaign of slow-roasting Pork Belly over open flame, in front of the customers. 
Tri Tip Sandwich (Thin Sliced Santa Maria Tri Tip Layered on a Cheesy Garlic Butter Bread Topped with Stoked Sauce):
One thing that was a little odd was that their menu at the booth proudly stated
“No Sauce! Let the beef be the star. Our rub is meant to accentuate and highlight the natural flavors of the beef.”
And yet their Trip Tip Sandwich is topped with their “Stoked Sauce”? 
Luckily we caught that detail and asked for the Stoked Sauce to be on the side.
The actual Santa Maria-style BBQ Tri Tip was very tender and moist. However there was no smokiness at all. 
We could clearly see it and smell it on the open grill they had on display, but the meat itself had very little flavor. It tasted like a clean Roast Beef in a way.
Then eating the Santa Maria Tri Tip with the Cheesy Bread and a bit of their Stoked Sauce (too sweet and overpowering) made for a very heavy-handed, sweet, cheesy, salty “Beef Sandwich,” that really didn’t taste like Santa Maria BBQ. We’re not sure we’d order this again.
I hope they work on getting more smokiness infused into their Tri Tip. If they did that, this would be some pretty decent Tri Tip at that point.
Stoked!
Sundays at Smorgasburg L.A.
Kalan Kitchen
Billed as Modern Filipino Cuisine, Kalan is another new vendor to join Smorgasburg this season. The menu sounded delicious with Lechon and Chicken Adobo, but done in a more “modern” way according to the menu. So it was time for a try. 
Fresh Mint Watermelon Limeade (Mint, Watermelon, Lemonade, Limeade):
For the blazing heat, this sounded perfect. The actual taste was… OK. The drink lacked the brightness of super fresh Watermelon, tasting a bit overpowered by the Limeade more than anything. We couldn’t taste the Mint either. But it was helpful in the crazy heat.
Lechon (Pork Shoulder, Pork Belly, Garlic Rice, Mang Tomas Sauce, Coconut Vinaigrette Slaw):
This didn’t really taste like a standard Filipino Lechon Kawali that we’ve had before in the past. Instead, it was a slow-cooked, stewed Pork Shoulder & Pork Belly creation, tasting almost… Chinese in spices perhaps (5 Spice, Star Anise), but it was delicious!
The Pork Shoulder & Belly were super tender and moist, and mixed with the Garlic Rice made a rather satisfying Rice plate. The Quail Egg on top (when mixed together) gave it an almost Hawaiian Loco Moco feel.
The one hiccup in this dish was their Crispy Pork Skin, unfortunately: It looked delicious, but it was too hard to eat. Maybe from sitting too long?
We’d be glad to go back and try their Chicken Adobo next time. And their Pop-Up menu sounds interesting as well.
Kalan Kitchen
Sundays at Smorgasburg L.A.
http://www.kalankitchen.com/
Guerilla Tacos
One of Southern California’s best Taco creators needs no introduction, but their rotating menu this week sounded too good to pass up, and it’s great that they’re at Smorgasburg on Sundays (besides their other roaming locations during the rest of the week).
Crab Tostada (Cilantro, Serrano Chile, Chile de Valle Salsa, Micro Wasabi, Avocado, Chile Morita, Santa Barbara Uni):
This was pretty tasty! Their Crab was mixed with a light Mayo dressing topped with Chile de Valle Salsa and the Micro Greens. The crunchy Tostada was a great textural contrast to the Crab and soft, bright, sweet Uni. There was a noticeable spicy kick (from the multiple Chilies), but the Avocado’s creaminess helped to keep things balanced.
Soft Shell Shrimp Taco (Baja Style, Cabbage Slaw, Chipotle Crema, Chile Japonese, Chile de Arbol, Cilantro, Lime, Cherry Tomato):
Chef Avila, taking a page from Cantonese Fried Shrimp (where the shell becomes so crunchy and brittle you can eat the whole Shrimp, shell and meat) serves up Soft Shell Shrimp, deep fried to a level where can you bite through the Shell and eat the whole thing!
It’s crunchy, and the Soft Shell Shrimp is meaty and tender. There’s a nice subtle brininess, but it’s all balanced out by the combination of Chilies used here. It was so delicious!
Pork Loin Taco (Chile Negro, Gooseberries, Micro Greens):
This one was a little bit of a disappointment: The Pork Loin didn’t taste that fresh, and was a little bit overcooked / dry. The Gooseberries also made it a bit too sweet for my tastes.
Chicken Taco (Roasted Tomato Chile, Sumac Onions, Guajillo Chile, Cherry Tomatoes):
But then we got to this simple-sounding “Chicken Taco,” which was a real stunner: The Stewed Chicken marinated in this Roasted Tomato Chile was delicate and tender, amazingly complex in flavor. This tasted like no other “Chicken Taco” I’ve had before! 
It was so good! 
The Sumac Onions and Micro Greens added just enough taste contrast to elevate it even more.
Guerilla Tacos
Check website for locations during the week (all around L.A.).
Sundays at Smorgasburg L.A.
URBN Pizza
And finally, the reason we were most excited to stop by, thanks to @matthewkang for raving about this famous San Diego restaurant that specializes in New Haven-style Pizza on Eater LA, it appears they have joined Smorgasburg L.A. to showcase this Connecticut / New Haven-style Pizza for all of us in Los Angeles.
According to the owner (who was there today), they are hoping to eventually open up a brick and mortar in L.A., but in the meantime, they’ll be at Smorgasburg L.A.
He explained to us that New Haven-style Pizza is like a Neapolitan Pizza, but in New Haven, Connecticut, it’s oblong-shaped, thin crust, and crisped up in a high heat burning oven (he constructed one on his URBN Truck that he brought to Smorgasburg). He even imports in certain ingredients from New Haven for his restaurants in San Diego and for his booth here at Smorgasburg.
Fresh Tomato & Pesto Pizza:
The owner mentioned that he added this flavor combination for Smorgasburg L.A. First, it was indeed oblong-shaped, and it was a thin crust Pizza. Taking a bite, we were greeted by a satisfying crunch, with the thin crust being crispy and crunchy.
The Pizza crust had good flavor and light charring (which I like, as opposed to heavy charring). But then it was the Mozzarella, Pesto and Tomatoes that really stood out. The flavors came together for an incredibly tasty pie!
Fresh Clam & Bacon Pizza:
But then came a “New Haven classic” according to the owner, their Fresh Clam & Bacon Pizza.
All I can say is @matthewkang was right! It starts with a White Pie base, you get Garlic notes, tender Clam morsels, and crisped Bacon! The Mozzarella was perfect. And then the super thin crunchy crisp crust made it even better!
@lapizzamaven and all our FTC Pizza Lovers should check out URBN Pizza at least once. I’ve never had New Haven-style Pizza before, but I’m glad I tried URBN. I can’t wait to go back.
URBN Pizza
Sundays at Smorgasburg L.A.
Every Sunday:
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Smorgasburg L.A.
(at the Alameda Produce Market)
S. Alameda Street & Bay Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021
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I want that clam and bacon pizza, and crab tostada!!!
I’ll say it again, bring Shao Kao to Smorgs!
Clam pizza! Now I must make a pilgrimage to downtown L.A. to eat in a parking lot in 90 degree heat wave. So hard to find good clam pizza in Los Angeles. It’s the only pizza I ate when I lived in Massachusetts. The Connecticut pizza was the best!
Thank you for letting us know, that looks terrific. The lechon looks pretty good, too. My carnivore friend will be happy.
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nice! I had the clam pizza yesterday too around 1pm
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Shao Kao would be awesome but the price point seems a bit higher than the other booths?
Awesome report.
Clam pizza in New Haven is so fantastic. Really need to try it here.
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Hi @CiaoBob,
Oh nice! You’ve had the real deal from New Haven. Looking forward to hearing how this compares.
I’ve had New Haven clam pizza at Frank Pepe’s. URBN is not as good, but it’s darn close. I wish it had more clams. And bacon. But the crust is very light at URBN, which I like.
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Oh wow looks legit! One request/suggestion to folks for future pizza pics. Get an “undercarriage” shot if you can. You can tell a lot about a pizza crust by how the bottom looks.
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I like to call it the “upskirt” shot
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Thanks @matthewkang. Good to know how it compares. And good to know it’s pretty darn close.
Like you, I don’t like pizza that’s over-charred. I don’t like eating burnt crust, but that’s just my personal preference. 
John Candy dropping coins in “Splash.”
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Hehe. I used to call it that, too. But I dated a woman a while back who was really creeped out by it, so I stopped.
Gotta respectfully disagree with you both on this. I love a properly charred crust. It’s a big part of the appeal of the New Haven and NY-Neapolitan styles imo.
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yup, from John’s of Bleeker St to New Haven they tend to char it up back East.
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